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Patented June 18, 1929.

UNITED STATES ROBERT A. MARE, F NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

PROCESS OF TREATING CANE MATERIAL.

No Drawing.

The present invention relates to the treatment of cane material, under which term is included various kinds of cane brake growth, such as Machrospermw arumda'ria, Mac/trosperma team, and various kinds of bamboo.

The invention embraces converting cane material of this character into various fibrous materials by treatment with a digestive solution, and subsequently working up the material in any suitable manner, de-

pending upon the final product which it is desired to obtain. The cane material may be treated either in a green or dry condition, and may be treated either in short or long lengths depending upon the particular prodnot which is desired, and the size and length of the material under treatment.

The cane, which may be cut up into suitable lengths and may be tied up into bundles if desired, is placed into a solution preferably consisting of 1 part of zinc sulfate, 1 part of potassium sulfate, 2 parts of sodium sulfate. The said mixture being employed in amount equal to about 1 to 2 ounces of the mixture to each gallon of water. This forms a digestive solution of about I to 1 70 strength, which is very much less concentrated than the usual digestive solutions heretofore generally used by others in making pulp. In the preferred form of carrying out the process, the large cane cut into suitable lengths is placed into a digester (preferably in the form of bundles), the digester being packed as full as possible with the bundles of material. The digester is then filled with the liquor above referred to, which may be cold or warm or even hot, and the cover is then placed on the digester in an air tight manner. The material is then cooked by heating the liquor in any suitable manner, for example, by blowing in steam. The length of time and temperature of the cooking operation, will determine the degree to which the cane material will be modified by the cooking operation.

For making fiber materials for stiff brushes and the like, the liquor will be heated up to a pressure of, for example, 75 pounds, this pressure being maintained for 15 or 20 minutes, after which the liquid may be allowed to cool sufiiciently to bring the pressure back to about atmospheric, after which the cooked material may be removed from the hot liquor. For making materials for spinning fibers, burlap, gunny cloth,

Application filed October 17, 1922. Serial No. 595,215.

rope, twine and cordage, it is advisable to hold a pressure of about 100 pounds for 30 minutes or so. For making finer cloth, a pressure of 100 pounds, maintained for 30 to 40 minutes generally gives good results.

For making pulp for use in the manufacture of paper, plastic materials, such as artificial lumber or the like, the cane material may be heated in the solution up to a pressure of 140 pounds,'which pressure may be maintained for 1% to 3 hours. It is to be understood that these pressures and temperature are given for the purpose of illustration and not as limiting the invention thereto. In all of the cases above mentioned, the digester with the solution and cooked material can then be allowed to cool off somewhat, say until the pressure has dropped to about atmospheric and the temperature has dropped to somewhat below the boiling point, after which the liquor can be drawn off from the digester or the bundles of material can be taken out of the digester leaving the liquor therein. The bundles of cooked material may be soaked in water at ordinary temperature or hot water for hour or so to remove any adhering chemicals. For making pulp from the cooked ma terial, it can first be run through rollers lengthwise of the grain, which willv cause the same to be broken-up into fiber bundles, which can then be run through a pulper and then through a Jordan engine. The material may then be made into sheets in the usual manner. In place of using the Jordan, an ordinary beater engine can be used, if desired, this ordinarily not being necessary. A paper is produced in this manner which is of a brownish color and is very strong, being stronger than many of the varieties of kraft paper. For making spinning fibers, ropes, unny cloth and the like, it is advisable to add, directly after cooking and washing, an oleaginous material, such as an emulsion of oil (e. g. mineral oil) and soap, as a lubricant. This serves as a conditioning material, and the oil employed may be mineral oil, fatty oil, or tar oil. The material is then run through rolls, which may be of hard material such as iron, or wood, or of soft yielding material such as rubber. If the rolls are made of hard ma terial they should not be pressed together too hard, since the strength of the fiber is liable to be injured if too much pressure is used. If desired a device similar to an ordinary laundry clothes-wringcr may be used in this operation. In case wooden or iron rolls are used it may be advisable to combine the oiling operation with the pressing operation, by allowing the bottom roll to dip into an oily material or an emulsion of an oily material. The rolled material can then run through a picker and a carding device and then may be used as a substitute for coir or cocoa fiber for making mats and matting or for making the coarse fabrics above referred to. Any of the waste from this operation may, if desired, be run through a pulper and can thereafter be used for making paper.

F or working up the material above referred to for making brush or broom fiber, the cooked material may be washed and treated with an oily material as above referred to after which it can be passed through rolls in the manner above referred to. The material can then be brushed or carded for removing tow as a by-product, which tow can be worked up into fabrics, rope or pulp as above described.

' VV'hen it is desired to produce very coarse bristles such as are used for brooms for street sweeping and the like, the cooked material, preferably after oiling, can be passed lengthwise through cutters'spaced to produce the desired thiclmess.

The fiber either in the form of pulp, textile fiber or broom fiber or finished'products containing these, may, if desired, be dyed by treatment with cotton dyes and alum, or other mordant.

Fiber made for brooms and brushes and Another suitable mixture for making the material water-resistant is one consisting of lead acetate solution and a solution of cop peras each containing gum or dextrin the two solutions being mixed together.

It is important to note that when using the small cane, particularly tecta, this material may be put into the digester without being cut into lengths, simply being bundled into largebundles to completely fill the digester or being made into small bundles which are then packed into the digester. These bundles are then cooked and on being runv through rollers, the material breaks up at the joints or nodes, leaving the fiber material for further treatment.

In treating large cane and bamboo for making fiber, the'cane may be cut into sections, cutting out the joints, or nodes, then making bundles of substantially uniform lengths of the cane material, preferably splitting up the same into several pieces. The nodes or joints which are thereby cut out can be cooked separately for the making of pulp so that it is not necessary to waste any of this material.

The digestive liquor above referred to is capable of being modified to some extent. The proportions of the materials as given above are those which have been found to give very satisfactory results. However,

good results can be secured even when omitting the potassium sulfate and in a few cases good results have been secured when using a solution of sodium sulfate and potassium sulfate in about the ratio above referred to, this being used in the amount of about 2 ounces per gallon of liquor. The particular preferred cooking liquor above referred to is especially advantageous in that it can be used over several times in the cooking of successive batches of the cane and it not necessary tov throw away the liquor and to make up fresh liquor after each cooking operation. T have repeatedly used the same liquor in more than a dozen successive cooks with satisfactory results. The cooked material may take out a small quantity. of the sulfates, and a portion of the water in the cooking liquor may be lost by evaporation owingto the high temperature used. The water in which the cooked material is soaked (and it may be noted that the time of soaking above given is merely by u ay of example) can be used in making up fresh quantities of liquor or can be used for making up any loss of liquor from the above solution. Further quantities of the sulfates referred to can be added from time to time. to prevent the liquid from becoming unduly weakened by absorption. Theliquid pressed out from the cooked material during the pressing operation above. referred to likewise can be used for making up additional. cooking liquid.

1' claim: v

1. A proces of treating cane material of the character set forth which comprises digesting the same in a solutiorrcontaining an alkali metal sulfate and Zinc sulfate.

2. A process of treating cane material of the character set forth which comprises digesting the same in a solution containing an alkali metal sulfate and zinc sulfate, and. carrying the pressure up to at least 7 pounds, for not less than minutes.

3. A process of treating cane material of the character set forth which comprises. digesting the same in a solution containing an alkali metal sulfate and zinc sulfate, and carrying the pressure up to. at least 100, pounds for not less than minutes.

4. A process of treating cane material of the character set forth which comprises digesting the same in a solution containing an fit alkali metal sulfate and zinc sulfate, and carrying the pressure up to about 140 pounds for about 90 to 180 minutes.

5. A process of treating cane material of the character set forth which comprises digesting the same in a solution containing sodium sulfate, potassium sulfate and zinc sulfate.

6. A process of treating cane material of the character set forth which colnprises digesting the same in a solution containing an alkali metal sulfate and zinc sulfate, and thereafter running the cooked -material through pressure rolls.

7. A process of treating cane material of the character set forth which comprises digesting the same in a solution containing an alkali metal sulfate and zinc sulfate, running the cooled material through pressure rolls and applying an oleaginous material thereto, the last-mentioned two steps being in any desired order.

8. A process of treating cane material of the character set forth which comprises digesting the same in a solution containing a plurality of alkali metal sulfate solutions.

9. A process of treating cane material which comprises digesting the same in a sulfate solution containing a alkali metal sulfate under pressure above atmospheric, and thereafter crushing said material.

10. A process which comprises digesting cane material with a solution containin a plurality of sulfates including zinc sul ate and thereafter reducing the size of the pieces by mechanical treatment.

11. A process which comprises digesting cane material in a solution containing zinc sulfate and an alkali metal sulfate, such solution containing substantially less than 5% of dissolved salts.

12. A process which comprises digesting cane material in a solution containing zinc sulfate and an alkali metal sulfate, such solution containing about 1 to 2% of said salts, and being free from other strong added chemicals.

13. A process of treating cane material which comprises digesting the same in a solution containing an alkali metal salt and a soluble salt of another metal, such solution being of about 1% to 2% strength, and repeatedly using the same digesting solution with a plurality of batches of the said cane material.

14. A process of treating cellulosic and ligneous material which comprises digesting the same in a sulfate solution containing an alkali metal sulfate and a soluble earth metal sulfate, together amounting to not over 2%, such salts being the principal dissolved active constituents of such solution, such digestion being conducted under superatmospheric pressure, and repeatedly using the same digestive solution with a plurality of batches of the said cellulosic and ligneous material.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature.

ROBERT A. MARR. 

